Remember each these tips and you’ll be mastering Spotlight in no time, speeding around your Mac like never before!ĭon’t forget that you can use search operators to improve results by looking only for specified file types or dates, and much more. Get a Definition – Type a word to define and hover over the “Look Up” option to see the definition.Launch an App – Type the app name and hit Return to launch it.Not quite keyboard shortcuts, but these are a few amazingly useful tricks that many users don’t know Spotlight can do:

Jump categories in search results – Command+Arrow Up or Command+Arrow Down.Show path/location of search result – Command+Option while hovering over search result.Show Quick Look Preview of Spotlight results – Command key or hover with the Mouse cursor (Mac OS X 10.7 and later only).Open to location of first search item in Finder – Command+Return.Navigate search results – Arrow Up and Arrow Down.These shortcuts are for interacting and navigating within Spotlight search results:

Open Spotlight in the Finder – Command+Option+Spaceħ Spotlight Usage & Navigation Keyboard Shortcuts.

These are the most basic shortcuts to use Spotlight: With that in mind, here are 13 (11 original keystrokes + 2 bonus) helpful keyboard shortcuts and tricks to assist you in getting the most out of the excellent Mac search feature. If you aren’t using Spotlight on a regular basis yet you really should start doing so, and perhaps it’s just a matter of learning some great tips and shortcuts to help get you started.

Spotlight search mac shortcut